Notre Dame faculty receive ARO Young Investigator Program awards

The Army Research Office (ARO) has recognized two University of Notre Dame faculty members with Young Investigator Program (YIP) awards for 2017.

The AROYIP awards are among the most prestigious honors awarded by the Army to outstanding researchers beginning their independent careers. The goal of this program is to attract outstanding early career faculty to pursue fundamental research in areas relevant to the Army, to support their research in these areas and to encourage their teaching and research careers.

Assistant Professor Dong Wang

In discussing these awards, Patrick J. Flynn, Duda Family Professor and Chair of Computer Science and Engineering, said, “I am proud of the computer science and engineering faculty who received these grants, as this is a very competitive award program. I look forward to seeing the progress made on these studies and know the exposure to their work will benefit our students in the classroom and lab as well.”

Tim Weninger is an assistant professor of computer science and engineering who joined the University in 2013. Weninger received the award for his project “Mining Conversation Trails for Effective Group Behavior” and is an affiliated member of iCeNSA.

Assistant Professor Tim Weninger

The results of Wang’s project will contribute to the military’s intelligent decision-making process by offering a new, reliable data sensing and fusion system that explores the collective benefits of physical and human sensors. In addition, Weninger’s study will look at the decision-making process for a group by mapping individual trains of thought, with the goal of better understanding complex interactions for the development of better leadership.

Associate Vice President for Research and Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Richard E. Billo said, “The ARO strives to execute a strong fundamental research program that supports scientific discovery and the development of new technologies. The receipt of these awards not only shows the relevance of our faculty’s work to the Army, but also highlights the value of the University’s research program. I encourage all Notre Dame faculty to contact me if interested in applying for these awards.”

The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.

Originally published by Brandi Klingerman at research.nd.edu on October 11, 2017.